Water cannon fired to disperse Belfast rioters as violence erupts for second night

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - BELFAST — Violence gripped the streets of Northern Ireland for a second night on Wednesday following the Belfast knife attack as rioters hurled bricks at police, who responded by firing water cannon to disperse unruly crowds.

Masked youths broke up parts of pavements and walls of private homes to make bricks to throw at police, and a vehicle appeared to have been set alight, sending black smoke billowing into the sky, the Independent reported.

Two hundred extra police officers were on the streets after residents were forced to flee homes that were set alight on Tuesday night, as a Sudanese man was charged over a knife attack in Belfast.

Northern Ireland’s infrastructure minister condemned the second night of destruction as “racism, intimidation and thuggery”, saying the acts “serve no one and only cause harm and fear within communities”.

Riot police came under sustained attack from a group throwing bricks, bottles and pieces of wood at a major roundabout to the north-west of Belfast.

Additional officers were drafted in but Wednesday's disorder was not on the same scale as Tuesday's violence.

Public transport shut down across Northern Ireland and some schools closed early on Wednesday ahead of any disruption. Belfast city centre was deserted after many businesses shut up shop by lunchtime.

The cannon was deployed at the Sandyknowes roundabout in Glengormley, about eight miles (13km) north-west of Belfast city centre.

The family of Stephen Ogilvie, who lost an eye in the attack, said they were “disgusted” by the response and “do not want this terrible tragedy to be used to divide people or fuel hostility”.

Footage showed dozens of people dressed all in black and wearing face coverings tearing up the driveways and fences of nearby houses to use as missiles.

A large Department for Infrastructure vehicle was seen in flames, and bins were set on fire.

The crowd attempted to set fire to a derelict property in the same area, with some throwing petrol bombs at police lines.

It seems they were trying to get close to a hotel which houses asylum seekers.

There have been protests elsewhere in Northern Ireland but they have been largely peaceful.

In east Belfast, where there was major trouble on Tuesday, about 150 people gathered amid a large police presence. Police said there was little trouble and few arrests had been made.

More than 100 people gathered at row of houses near the Ulster University campus in Coleraine, County Londonderry.

Some of the crowd remonstrated with police about the houses of multiple occupation (HMOs) and those living in them before before finishing up.

In Derry, police advised motorists to avoid the Ardmore Road at the Church Brae junction due to items on fire.

About 140 protesters had gathered at the Stormont estate in Belfast.

Earlier, Hadi Alodid, a 30-year-old originally from Sudan, appeared in court on Wednesday charged with attempted murder over a knife attack in north Belfast on Monday that caused serious injuries to the victim, Stephen Ogilvie.

Ogilvie, who is in his 40s, has lost his left eye and has damage to his right eye, along with injuries to his neck and back.

His family released another statement on Wednesday night, saying he was in a stable condition. They said they had been forced to do so after "witnessing a lot of false information on social media".

They have appealed for "peaceful protest as the only way forward" and said there were "many migrants who make a deeply valuable contribution to our society".

Reaction to the attack, and the alleged attacker's ethnicity, prompted protests on Tuesday evening in many parts of Northern Ireland.

Groups of masked men set fire to houses, a bus and cars, mostly in Belfast, forcing a number of families to flee their homes. Petrol bombs were also thrown at police in a number of locations.

Many of the other protests, in areas such as Ballymena, Londonderry and Antrim, passed off peacefully.

In other developments:

27 people have been made homeless "because people went door-to-door to try and target foreign nationals", a UK minister has said
A two-month-old baby was among those rescued during Tuesday's violence, the Police Service of Northern Ireland's chief constable said
Police say social media users "highlighting properties" by posting addresses online or through apps are "putting lives at risk" and may be committing a crime
Two police officers were injured as they tackled the violence in Belfast on Tuesday night
Two men have been been charged - a 42-year-old was charged with riot, attempted criminal damage and assault, and a 39-year-old man was charged with riot
There were also three arrests as two police officers and three members of the public were injured in Glasgow after the unrest spread to Scotland
Lord Mayor of Belfast, Sinn Féin's Róis-Máire Donnelly, said she had received death threats
The Stormont Executive held an emergency online meeting
Several hundred people took part in an anti-immigration rally in Dublin city centre
The chief executives of Northern Ireland's health trusts say the current unrest is having a profound impact on services, which are already under enormous strain
On Wednesday night, the Stormont Executive issued a statement on behalf of all ministers condemning the disorder.

They have repeated calls for calm and said the events have caused significant harm to communities, spread fear and risked innocent lives.

The Royal College of Nursing said some staff had been "stopped by masked men" when trying to get into work on Tuesday night.

RCN director Rita Devlin said: "They have been asked to show their credentials to masked men. They have been unable to get into work."

She said some of these nurses were from overseas and were "absolutely petrified".

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said people were rightly sickened by the horrific attack on Monday night in north Belfast.

"But let me be clear, the acts of violence and arson that followed are totally unjustified," he added.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the scenes were "deeply disturbing", adding that people had a "right to be angry" and the right to "expect politicians to secure our borders".

"But no-one has a right to burn families out of their homes or to burn public property and attack the police," she added.

Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn said it was now down to people who participated in disorder to decide whether they want to continue to "leave children absolutely terrified as they're taken out into the dark with flames and screaming around them".

PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher called on people to not get "carried away with a tide" of views online and be "persuaded by people who know nothing about Northern Ireland".